Courses for Parents Wanting to Change Career

A Guide to Childcare and Education for New Mums and Dads

Aug 23, 2009 Jayne Elliott

After having a child, many parents find going back to education is now commonplace, but many can struggle trying to maintain a balance between study and family life.

Making the decision to retrain can be a difficult one to make with many factors needing to be considered. The cost of any courses need to be worked out from the family budget, childcare needs to be arranged and parents need to carefully think whether they actually have the time.

But once all the plans have been sorted out parents find they enjoy re-discovering themselves.

Choosing the Right Course

The course a parent will undertake depends on previous job experience and previous qualifications as much as it does the end result. Some courses may require an entry examination, test or interview to be carried out before an offer is made. As places are often limited it is vital not to get down hearted, finding the right course can take time.

Many colleges and universities do tours of their facilities and offer the chance to speak to tutors and other students on the course. All the details can be found on the institutes website or in a prospectus.

Course Options on Offer

There are a number of study options available to parents ranging from distance learning to evening classes.

Some courses allow students to work at their own pace while others are more structured.

• Learndirect.These are flexible courses which are completely tailored to the parents study needs and lifestyle which is great if you are struggling on very little sleep or have children to get to school. Learndirect courses are split into sections and also have online support so most of the study can be done at home. Subjects range from business and IT to maths and English. Courses are cheap with some starting from £20. Alternatively people in receipt of benefits could study for free.

• City and Guilds. This type of qualification is nationally recognised by employers as they work with professional organisations. The courses range from basic diplomas to degrees and span more than 28 industries.

• Open University.Achieving qualifications with the Open University is a good way for parents to study as they are set assignments, given deadlines and course materials but they can work from home. It can be hard to find a quiet time to study and will need a lot of dedication, but parents often find it works.

Finance for Education

Although some education can be expensive it is an investment in the family's future. If parents are on certain benefits or tax credits then they may receive a grant, free place, or discounted fees. There are student loans available, and while borrowing money is not ideal, they do have low rates of interest.

Whatever a parent decides it is important to get the correct advice before enrolling. Careers advice is free and it is worth taking and up-to-date CV to show what experience a parent has. A well-structured CV can make a huge difference.

The copyright of the article Courses for Parents Wanting to Change Career in Career Advice is owned by Jayne Elliott. Permission to republish Courses for Parents Wanting to Change Career in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Comments

Aug 23, 2009 9:02 PM

Guest :

Great Information! It Helps A Lot
Fabulous!
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Please Don't Forget To Leave A Comment..
Thanks And Happy Career

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